The Lion’s Roar / Jay Love
Freshman midfielder Maggie Ramsey dribbles through two  Warhawk defenders in route to one of the several goals she scored this past weekend.

The Lady Lions soccer team continued to write history as they picked up two non-conference wins over the weekend. Southeastern cruised to a 4-0 win against the University of Louisiana-Monroe on Friday and followed up with a 2-1 comeback win against Southern Mississippi University on Sunday. Both matches were played at the Southeastern Soccer Complex.

Friday’s contest against the Warhawks of ULM was an exciting match full of goals for the Lady Lions. Thunder echoed throughout the pitch as the home squad controlled possession of the ball for the majority of the match. The Lady Lions would finally break past the ULM defense as sophomore forward Bri Singh found the back of the net in the 18th minute. Fans of the Green and Gold did not have to wait long for more goals. Freshman midfielder Maggie Ramsey reached her fourth goal of the season to put the Lady Lions ahead 2-0 heading into halftime. 

Lightning forced the teams off the pitch and into the locker rooms shortly after the start of the second half. Following the two-hour weather delay, the match continued. The Lady Lions continued to rain shots on the Warhawks keeper. It paid off 20 minutes into the second half when Singh once again scored for the Lady Lions. Southeastern would squeeze one more goal into the match, it coming 10 minutes later from sophomore Amber Lasher. Officials called the match with little under 12 minutes left due to darkness.

“We did an excellent job of finishing the opportunities we created, especially in the first half. We were also proud of the way our team handled the long delay and kept mentally focused on the task at hand,” said Head Coach Blake Hornbuckle in an interview with lionsports.net.

The win improved the Lady Lions to 5-0, the first time in school history the team has accomplished such a record. 

“Winning games is a big confidence boost,” said Hornbuckle. “When you’re able to pull in a big game in the end, it gives you momentum heading into your next training session, weight room session or your next game.”

Sunday’s matchup against SMU proved to be a tougher task for the Lady Lions. Weather continued to impact Southeastern athletics. A lightning delay forced the start time back nearly an hour and a half. However, the weather would not hamper the focus from the two teams as neither team gave up a goal in the first half. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Hope Sabadash has yet to have an opponent score on her this season. That all changed in the 48th minute when Anya Koren found the end of a cross to put the Golden Eagles up 1-0. 

The Lady Lions continued to stay composed, despite being down for the first time this season. Their patience paid off in the 63rd minute when sophomore defender Katie Noonan broke free in midfield and smashed a shot past the SMU goalkeeper. The goal was the Washington native’s second of the season. 

Momentum had turned in favor of the home squad during the dying moments of the match. After shouts to push forward coming from Sabadash and the teammates on the bench, the Lady Lions found themselves with a throw-in on the opponent’s side of the pitch. With the final seconds winding down, Noonan delivered one of her signature long throw-ins into the box. The pass connected with Ramsey, who found the near post to put the Lady Lions up 2-1 with less than a minute to play. 

“This has become a big rivalry game for the team and the program,” said Hornbuckle. This was the 10th matchup in history between the two teams and also Southeastern’s first win over the Golden Eagles. “The team did a great job responding today and played up until the last few seconds, which was enough for us to get that last goal for the win.”

Now at 6-0, the Lady Lions look to continue their history-making streak as they travel to Tennessee to take on the University of Memphis this Friday. For more information, go to Lionsports.net.

The Lion’s Roar / Jay Love
Ramsey has proven herself to be critical in not only scoring goals, but also with challenging for possession of the ball.

The Lion’s Roar / Jay Love
Sophomore forward Bri Singh continued to score. The California native notched two goals versus ULM, bringing her season total to seven.